I received this as a bootleg in high school probably 1985 or '86 in suburban Philadelphia area. I have always loved this show because the recording is raw and unbalanced and in some ways shows the band in a different, albeit excellent, light. The way Jerry leans into the main riff of Cold Rain and Snow with super twangy pull-offs and the way his guitar sounds particularly gritty but lean, like an SG (most likely a rosewood Strat by this show, though). Also how the solo is more hard rock and succinct for most Garcia solos making it a fine example of another side of Jerry. The band sounds a little more jangly and a bit like a garage band still. Maybe it was the festival setting or it was cold or maybe it's just how Pig's keyboard sounds. Who knows? I like it. The Hard to Handle is probably my favorite of all time: groovy and hard rocking. The band is boogeying! The Masons Children is also top notch; pretty, jammy, loose and garage-y with lots of Phil's high harmonies. Also, this has some of the best stage banter of ALL Time!

Eh, it's ok. The recording is a bit distorted, the jams are not long and the (terrible) vocals are way too prominent in the mix as with most soundboards.

for me this is the blast from the past I have been searching for! I had a tape of this show that got lost and I have been searching for it for decades ,,quite literally twenty years or so ,,unfortunately my booter was mislabeled as Miami pop festival 69 ,, it is one of the first bootlegs that introduced me to the dead and I have been digging it ever since ,, thanks a million

would love to be able to download this one! great sound quality for a '69 show. GD's only other South Fla appearance that year (the other was in May '69-released as part of the Road Trips series)

The best one I've ever heard

I was w my buddy Stan, Johnny Winters roadie. This was the first time I ever heard of the Dead, let alone experiencing them. The show was great, but the jam at the hotel was awesome... wish I had that tape... GArcia/Winter -guitars, Bob the Bear Hite - vocals, Phil- Bass, Butterfield - harp doing the canned Heat classic "Goin Up The Country". Priceless.

This is a gem of a recording. As you can hear from the stage, the monitors were acting up on Black Peter. That's the way it was then (in real time) and that's the way it is now (in recorded time). After that, it is pure gold.

I would have rated this 4, but think prat is too kind ! Another 5 will help restore the balance. Bad quality ? Go back to playing cd's on your X-box 360 !

I love the banter, and Hard To Handle is IMO one of the best ! Mason's & Lovelight smoke as well.

5 stars,to 1/2 cancel out what the prat below wrote.

Primal stuff. The frustrations and limitations of the recording here make 5 stars tough to merit, although the performance *seems* to warrant it...we'll just have to take what we can get for now until some miracle sbd / aud can provide the patches...

Black Peter begins in the middle, but don't that deter you - as the old reel constitutes itself in your ear you're immersed in real heavy, heavy swamp-groove here - "just then the wind..." is a nice way to be introduced to this show. Unlike poor 12/12's version, which slices a great big chunk from the middle, this one keeps itself in tact towards the end and is definitely worth it.

Everything rolls along adequately enough, vocals screeching through the top-end and Jer's guitar properly on fire - it's Hard to Handle when things *really* start to pick up - they stay at this fever-pitch right through the end - Mason's Children is an often-overlooked tune, but listen to the false-start here as they rev it up - the jam that comes at the conclusion is one I don't think I've heard in any other recording.

Good Lovin', unfortunately, suffers the same fate as 12/12, someone on the controls not quick enough to change the reels and/or too stoned to unpause the button following their "executive decision" to obliterate the drums (or did the reel run out?) A real shame - when the slice happens you're heartbreakingly introduced to the jam-that-could-have-been-were-it-complete.

So, the good is great, and bad is ugly and the ugly is not worth bothering with. Top-drawer with a big asterisk warning.

...is delivered.

In Boston. This show is solid, but the next show is the real gem. A song by song comparison will reveal this.

This is so friggin' off the chain, i can hardly believe my ears! Mason's Children is the all time best!!

Shamrock~Also my first Dead show. My GF and I hitch hiked down from Jacksonville for the fest..mainly to see GD. Lots of great music. So many days gone by, made it down front somehow at Pig's beckoning. Remember him destroying his allready funky hat pounding out the beat on his thigh. Live/Dead had only been out a few weeks and they were playing these new songs that would show up on Workingman and Skullf..k.The playing was 100%. Nevermind the audio imperfections.

im sure your old lady's crotch is too, but nobody gives her any static about it

This was my first time hearing the GD live. I remember it being a fantastic show. There were other highlights from the festival. It was expected that B.B. King would jam with Johnny Winter , but it never came true. B.B. did come out and jam with Canned Heat! I also remember The Band & Santana playing back to back, which was awesome. But the highlight was the Dead. There was another festival up in West Palm the month before but couldn't make it, had friends that attended and reported it was pretty good.

Five stars just because everything that is here is like gold.

Ah, the Miami ’69 show. Played many, many times (including the ’88 Miami/St. Pete run). Wasn’t there a second Lovelight? The stage banter is second to none. What a gem overall. Mason’s too.

This was actually billed as the Miami Rock Festival (not the Hollywood Pop Fest as DeadBase shows). You can find the poster here:
http://www.concertposterart.com/poster/display/Grateful-Dead-Miami-Rock-Festival-1969-Concert-Poster-Type-Ad
And a ticket stub here:
http://www.dead.net/fanphotos/miami-rock-festival-69-1

Also, the venue changed names several times but was apparently called the Miami-Hollywood Speedway at the time. It was technically in Pembroke Pines.

Not a huge fan of late '69 (it seems like a real sloppy era to me) but this is a fun show with a great vibe. I like the unique mix on this recording, despite the distortion etc.

In spite of warble/pitch issues and considerable distortion at its highest levels, I prefer this to the more recently cleaned up Cotsman file, which is not as lively, perhaps due to noise reduction efforts?

That said, it's still one of the ballsiest shows the band ever performed, the off the hook energy being fueled by the rowdy but appreciative crowd. In spite of some rather skeevy vocals, this live wire performance is a true gem, due mainly to its rather primal nature, reminiscent of June '68.

The band might not have been in the best mood for this concert as many of these numbers are played with a certain brutality that leads you believe that the racetrack was left in smoldering ruins at the conclusion of the short but incendiary set closing Lovelight.

This being a festival gig, some of the numbers are truncated and perhaps rushed a bit, but not the raw Cumberland Blues or what might be the hardest ever Hard to Handle. Sadly, the Good Lovin' is cut, it's unclear how much angry jamming is missing.

The highlight of course, is the rip your face off version of Mason's Children that features two blistering extended instrumental breaks following some hilarious stage banter.

This is quintessential Grateful Dead and I have to give it five stars now, warts and all. (98 pts)

Great Piggpen show. Recommended.

The recording is not perfect, some audio distortion form high levels in the red.

If you are a Pigpen fan, you will enjoy the show.

1969 seems so long ago and so different it's as if it was another planet in another galaxy in another Universe.

5 star show, 3 star recording equals 4 stars.

Eat, drink, be merry and listen to the GRATEFUL DEAD.

Thanks for the love.

Forget everything else...How bout the lovelite? The entire show rocks man! Rough around the edges but that's what i love about it!

This Mason's Children is an example of The Dead at their absolute finest!!!!



You can hear the overall sound of the Band development taking shape....

Wonderful.... Wonderful stuff....

That would be one of the hardest Hard to Handle's of 69'.

A great recording and a great performance is marred by the fact the whole tape is off speed, if this could be slowed down then five stars...

I know this is a bold statement.....but.......THIS IS THE BEST SHOW OF 1969..NOT THE BEST QUALITY(although its good),BUT THE PLAYING AND THE CROWD INTERACTION!BRILLANT!!!!!

This performance is a true gem! Stage Banter alone is worth the download. Some god-awful harmonies on Mason's but who cares? - everything else about this rendition sparkles. Just a great glimpse into the moment. A must have for anyone's archive.

This show definitely smokes, but this monitor mix recording does get a little too hot at times (especially when all are singing) causing it to slightly distort. That being said, the show is truly amazing (as is the setlist). Download it for Mason's Children and Lovelight if for nothing else.

Great Show to listen to, Great talking, can feel the vibe. This was my first show I ever owned, and definately one of the ones that got me hooked. Best ever Masons!!

Definitely a peak Dead show. The Mason's is hot, smokingly hot. The stage banter is hilarious as well. You can tell the band and crowd alike were fueling each other.

I too, wore out my cassette of this gem.
High Energy show, worth it for the stage banter alone. And it includes, for my money, the best Mason's Children they ever performed. Jerry just rips it up in one of his alltime great solos.

This was my favorite PigPen performance on cassette for years. Delighted to get a cleaner digital copy.

Raw musical energy with that great connection between band and audience that made the Dead so special.